"This is the budget for today's shopping. Go ahead and use it as you like."
"Yes, Master."
When we arrived at the building, I immediately switched to rest-mode. After handing the money to Mei, I left everything up to her. As for why, it's because the main goal for today's outing is to buy clothes for Dr. Shouko, including lingerie. I refrained from joining the ladies because there will definitely be many times when it would feel quite awkward for me if I tagged along.
"Don't you go wandering around, okay?"
"I'm not a kid y'know. I'll be fine."
"It's you we're talkin' about, after all, Boss..."
Though regrettable, judging from my record until now, I've never failed to attract trouble even if I didn't mean to. It was true, so it was hard to refute the girls. Just what did I do in the past to deserve this...?
"We're in a windowless enclosed space, and things will probably be fine as long as the other party doesn't resort to blowing up the walls, so please prioritize guarding them."
"Understood."
I took a seat at the break corner where some vending machines for snacks and drinks were installed. There was no one beside me when I called out, but I still received a prompt response. I couldn't see them at all, but I felt the presence of a cautious gaze being directed at me. Were they using optical camouflage or something like that?
"By the way, is there any new info?"
"Unfortunately, we still haven't found any leads... However, it seems like guys from Kouga are interfering with our efforts to conduct a counterattack."
"...They aren't the kind of people who'd get in the way of your job just because they're your rivals, right?"
"Yes. They were probably hired by the enemy."
"That's already pretty good info."
In other words, there definitely was a mysterious party that was keeping an eye on us, and they even found out that I hired Igasek. On top of that, they had more than enough financial strength to hire Igasek's rival company, Kouga Service, to work for them. It shouldn't have been an insignificant amount, since hiring these guys was quite expensive.
Furthermore, it can be surmised that the reason they hired Kouga Service was primarily to neutralize Igasek, and that they had no intention of going at it without regard for collateral damage within the colony.
No, is that really the case? After all, there's no guarantee that Igasek and Kouga Service won't resort to going at it with the intent to kill.
"Are they keeping their interference within a reasonable range, or do they go as far as drawing blood?"
"They haven't gone that far yet."
"I see. So I'm not necessarily off the mark huh...?"
My mutterings probably didn't make sense to the Igasek personnel who were listening.
"Hey, is it possible to get in contact with the guys from Kouga Service?"
"Huh?"
I heard a surprised voice that seemed to pierce through the void. Well, of course, they'd get surprised if their client suddenly proposes something like that. I might react the same way if I was in their position.
"If the aim of those Kouga guys is my and my crew's lives, then there's no room for negotiation. But if that's not the case, then maybe it's possible for us to avoid fighting entirely, right? And at least, there would also be a chance to get in touch with the mysterious party that hired them. If that's the case, then don't you think my proposal is worth a try?"
"There's a high chance of getting caught in the other party's trap."
"We'll deal with it when it happens. At least, there's a chance to work something out without resorting to a direct clash. Just inform them of my intentions one-sidedly. If they're willing to respond, then they'd take the initiative to get in contact with you... Oh, and I'm still gonna pay you guys the full amount for the request even if it gets resolved early, so don't worry about that."
"...Understood. I will inform my superiors."
With a soft poof sound, a person who was wearing what seemed to be full-body tights suddenly appeared before me. As expected, they were using optical camo or something to that effect... Fumu. I already suspected it earlier because of her tone of voice, but the one responding to me was a woman after all. Fumu... That skintight suit of hers sure is something. I won't elaborate though.
But, well... I haven't seen Mimi and the others wear this type of suit yet. The jumpsuits Tina and Wiska wear might seem similar, but the thinness of the material and the overall tightness of the suit were different. This kind of suit comes up often in SF manga and anime. But anime and manga images really are different from the real thing huh?
"...I'm sorry, but your gaze is a bit too blatant, sir."
After ending the transmission with her superior, Ms. Kunoichi turned to me and protested. Well, I couldn't exactly tell what kind of expression she was making because her head was covered with a full-face helmet.
"I'm simply marveling at the wonderful line-of-sight guidance technology."
"As expected, you didn't even flinch and attempt to look away even after being reprimanded. That's an impressive poker face."
The possibility of suddenly getting attacked by this optical camo-using kunoichi wasn't zero after all. I'm an experienced guy, so I won't make an amateur mistake like taking my eyes off a possible threat. Umu. What a perfectly reasonable argument.
"Well then, I shall return to guarding you."
I heard another soft poof, and Ms. Kunoichi vanished just as suddenly as she appeared. Hmm. Unlike certain games back on Earth, the optical camo effect didn't look slightly distorted. It was practically perfect, and I couldn't see her at all. Well, I can still somehow feel her presence though.
"...Can you actually still see me?"
"No, of course not."
When I involuntarily followed Ms. Kunoichi's movements with my gaze, her bewildered voice resounded from the void. However, I've already become capable of using vague stuff like aura and presence to detect someone equipped with a perfect optical camo suit huh? I'm becoming more and more inhuman. Is that a good or bad thing, I wonder...? Well, it's useful in any case.
"That's what happened."
"I see. It looks like you were deeply moved by that skintight suit, Hiro-kun."
"I won't deny that it captured my attention, but that's the only thing you got from all of that???"
I talked to Dr. Shouko (whose eyes already turned glassy from all she was put through) about the entirety of my interaction with the optical camo-clad Ms. Kunoichi, but she seemed to have focused on something strange. That's not the main point, Doc.
"But you should have been able to try the clothes on using the preview function on the store's terminals after getting your physical data scanned, so why do you look so exhausted?"
"You can't really do that when trying out underwear you know. Of course, the scan does take accurate size measurements, but you also have to make sure they really fit you and such... I'm exhausted from trying out underwear."
"I don't have the courage to barge into a lingerie shop without getting assaulted by my sense of shame, but I sure wanted to see that underwear dress-up event dammit..."
"You'll get to see them all sooner or later anyway. Look forward to them, Hiro-kun."
Dr. Shouko declared with a teasing grin. Uumu. Very well. That does sound wonderful. I shall look forward to them with bated breath.
"So, are the rest still in the middle of shopping?"
"Ah, Mimi brought them to another shop she highly recommended. And for some reason, she had this really suspicious smile."
"A recommended shop huh...? I see."
She must have taken the rest to the shop that was well-stocked with Lolita-style fashion items and clothes. It had a very wide selection of Lolita-style clothes. I'm sure those skilled store clerks will do a very good job introducing them.
『Elma and Tina might try to run away, so make sure to stop them in their tracks.』
『Understood, Master.』
I sent a message to Mei using my portable data terminal. I was already used to her near-instantaneous response. After all, Mei didn't even need to operate a terminal in order to reply.
"Then shall we go there as well after you're done resting, Doc? I've visited that place once already."
"You did, Hiro-kun?"
"Well, yeah. I came there with Mimi once when we visited this colony back then. I guess that's why it ended up on Mimi's recommended list."
"Hmmm...? Well, if you say so, Hiro-kun. Why not?"
Dr. Shouko seemed to have noticed something was off, but she agreed in the end. Of course she won't be able to find out what exactly was off. If she's able to see through the matter, then she'd be an esper. Unless she awakens a telepathic ability greater than Kugi's, she wouldn't be able to see through my true intentions.
However, I do wonder what the tall and glamorous Dr. Shouko would look like if she wears those kinds of clothes. No, there must be something there that would really suit her. Fashion is pretty deep after all. Maybe that classic look Mimi wears from time to time would suit her.
"You're not thinking of something perverted, are you?"
"Of course not. Or rather, is that how you see me, Doc Shouko? A shameless womanizer?"
"Aren't you one though?"
"I... actually can't refute that."
"It's good to be honest. How cute."
Dr. Shouko giggled in amusement. Even I wouldn't believe myself if I denied it after all. I had no choice but to admit it. One always has to face the consequences of their actions after all. How unfortunate.
"Well, in any case, it's good that there's some progress regarding our predicament. Facing an opponent that you know nothing about, including their actual purpose, is pretty scary. But it's no longer the case once you gain enough understanding of the other party. In the end, a person's greatest fear is the unknown."
"That's true."
It's certainly true that stuff you don't understand was pretty scary. This also applies to space combat, because facing an unpredictable enemy is always a terrifying prospect. Such opponents should always be prevented from making their moves and defeated as soon as possible. However, it wouldn't go that well all the time, especially if the other party was quite skilled.
"Okay then. Let's go and meet up with them. I've already recovered some of my energy anyway."
"Roger that."
Are they gonna accept my invitation or are they gonna set up a trap instead? Either way, things are already in progress. Let's proceed with caution, shall we?